Secrets to an Enchanted Life
by April O'Brien
Summary: Mozu, a villager, loses everything. She loses her home and her family, having nowhere else to go. Princess Corrin, however, allows her to join her group. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with letting her be a part of their family. There's Niles, a former thief, who seems to hate her. As Mozu deals with her trauma, how will she deal with someone as callous as him?
1. Chapter 1

Secrets to an Enchanted Life  
Chapter I

* * *

The arrow embedded itself deep within the last of the Faceless' chest and it dropped to the ground like a ton of bricks, never to stand again. Questions from his comrades flew everywhere, all of them filled with genuine concern. A lot of them had wounds that needed tended to, but none of them were life threatening. Niles's eyes slowly moved over to where their princess, Corrin, was currently standing. The raven haired woman was staring solemnly at the last remaining villager. Their mission was to save a village, but they only ended up saving one person, a feeble farm girl. Niles quietly and contemplatively inspected the grave expression crawling around Corrin's facial features. All of it was entirely negative. There was nothing pleasant about it. In addition to that, the farm girl's cries of anguish was making everything worse. Niles thought it was both sad and annoying.

Still silently observing, Niles watched as Corrin confidently approached the weeping farmer. When she reached her, she knelt beside the girl in the grass and pressed a gentle hand into the middle of her back. "Are you okay?" questioned Corrin, her tone colored with sadness.

"Waugh!" wept the girl, body trembling with uncontrollable sorrow. "No! My mother…My friends…!"

 _That's right._ Niles thought, listening in on their conversation and mostly focusing on the girl's broken words. _Her entire village is dead. Her mother died right in front of her. Huh. I wonder how the princess is going to handle this one._

"It'll be alright," muttered Corrin, pulling the female into a tight embrace. "It'll be fine. I promise you, Mozu."

The farmer, Mozu, released a muffled cry into Corrin's neck. Her tears continued to roll down her cheeks and she stayed that way for several minutes, completely unresponsive. Niles wondered how long she would be bawling, wondered how long she would suffer. For some reason, though, he couldn't bring himself to care all that much. All he did was watch and say nothing. From the looks of things, it appeared as though Corrin had it all under control. Niles was about to turn away from the unfortunate scene, but someone suddenly clamped a hand down onto his shoulder, stopping his movements. Raising an eyebrow, Niles turned his head slightly and was able to see that it was Effie.

"It's sad, isn't it?" asked Effie, eyes glued to the scene in front of them. "That poor girl lost her entire family…and her whole village is completely destroyed." From Niles's point of view, it seemed as though the incredibly strong woman was angry with herself. "I wish there was something more we could have done before any of this happened. The girl looks so broken."

"Yeah," murmured Niles, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Effie?" Silas approached them on his horse, looking down at his wife. "Sophie wants to speak with you about something."

Effie removed her attention from the scene, giving her husband a small smile. "Well, alright. I wonder what the girl wants." Effie scratched the back of her head and then started walking away from them in her pink armor. "Alright then!"

"Wait for me!" caterwauled Silas, hurrying after her on his steed.

Niles shrugged and brought his attention back to the scene. Mozu and Corrin were now standing up and Corrin had her hands on Mozu's shoulders, a small smile on her face.

"Um, but what do I do now?" queried Mozu with a deep frown decorating her freckled face. "They took my mother…my life."

"You must have some family near here," commented Corrin, voice full of sadness. "We'll be glad to take you there."

Mozu clutched the front of her shirt, eyes lowering to the grassy ground. A shaky sigh escaped her mouth and it looked as though she might burst into tears again. Her thin lips trembled and her entire body language made Niles frown. "There's no one," she responded softly, her words choppy and broken. She swallowed thickly and shook her head slowly, refusing to meet Corrin's gaze. "I couldn't even start over here by myself. All the homes, fields…" She shook her head again. "It's all destroyed. But I wouldn't want to stay here even if it wasn't. Everyone I called family is dead. Every house…a grave."

As Niles listened to the villager lament remorsefully, he couldn't help but think that her words were poetic, and still, for some unfathomable reason, he could not bring himself to care all that much. In addition to that, he still had no idea why he was even watching and listening to begin with. It wasn't any of his business and it was just too sad to witness. Niles didn't like to deal with situations like this and he definitely didn't know how to console someone. Sighing deeply, Niles ran a hand through his snow white hair, the frown on his face deepening.

"Listen," spoke Corrin, tucking a strand of white colored hair behind her ear. "We'll take you in. We can't replace all those you've lost. But we'll take care of you."

Surprise jumped onto Mozu's features. "I can join your group?"

"Yes, but only until we find you a safe place to call home," answered the princess of Nohr, a small smile stretching her lips. "Our group…a family of sorts…is bound by a dangerous cause. We go from one battle to the next, ever in peril. That's no life for you."

Niles agreed with Corrin's words completely. That kind of life was no life for a measly villager girl. The girl looked absolutely weak and it appeared as though she might break at any moment. Her limbs were very thin and frail and she was a small thing. Anyone could have taken her down, and it certainly didn't look like she could fight. Niles was sure that Mozu would decline Corrin's offer. The thought of the farmer girl joining their group was completely absurd. She would be killed in an instant and Niles wasn't looking forward to be playing babysit.

Mozu pursed her lips and moved her eyes so that she was staring Corrin straight in the face. Right then and there it was clear that Mozu had come to an important decision, a decision that Niles was not expecting. "I'm not afraid," she said, tone firm. "I can help. I might even save you or your friends. Let me join your cause, whatever it is. I'll keep your family alive."

"Oh? Will you?" Words poured out of Niles's mouth without his consent. As soon as those three words exited his mouth, the two females turned to face him, wondering what he was going on about. Niles didn't feel any embarrassment. It was unfortunate that his words came out, but he was a very blunt person. He didn't sugarcoat anything and he always spoke his mind, even if it was brutally honest. Niles didn't care if he hurt someone's feelings.

"H-Huh…?" squeaked Mozu, startled. Her eyes got incredibly huge and Niles thought that they would pop right out of her head. It was quite comical.

"Niles? What did you say?" questioned Corrin, raising an eyebrow.

Niles shook his head. "I'm just throwing in my own opinion on the matter. I mean, do you really expect someone as feeble as her to keep us all alive? I highly doubt that."

"What?" Mozu squeaked again, obviously offended. She dropped her hands to her sides and balled her hands into tight fists. "Who…who asked you?! Who are you anyway?" The girl looked like she wasn't having any of his crap, which was fine with Niles. It only amused him even more.

"You can call me Niles," replied Niles, shrugging while keeping his arms folded across his chest. "Mozu, right?"

Mozu was quiet for a moment, but then opened her mouth and mumbled, "Yeah."

"Well, Mozu, I don't think for a second that you can keep us alive," retorted the outlaw, using every shred of his honesty. "I mean, look around you." Niles gestured to the destroyed village and all of the bodies that were sprawled across the grass around them. It was a gruesome sight to behold and the rest of their comrades were currently burying all of the bodies, even the bodies of the enemies that were slain that day. "Were you able to keep _them_ alive?"

"Niles!" yipped Corrin, appalled by his blunt behavior.

Niles, however, kept going. "So, don't stand there and make empty promises. You just make yourself look bad."

Tears of ire filled Mozu's eyes and she brought her gaze to the ground, her whole body shaking tremendously. Corrin's arms were around her in a few seconds and that was when Corrin shot Niles a furious expression. "Niles, that is _enough_. Now, go help the others."

"As you wish," answered Niles coolly, turning around and walking off. He was partially saying that to be mean, but the most of it was just him speaking his mind. All he did was voice his opinions on the matter, and his opinions always ended up being facts. Still, he couldn't get her eyes out of his mind and the way she looked at him.

Her eyes were painted with despair.

 _It reminded him of someone he used to be._


	2. Chapter II

Secrets to an Enchanted Life  
Chapter II

* * *

With shaky legs, Mozu entered the hot spring. The water was hot and soothing against her skin. The girl breathed out a deep sigh and shut her eyes, allowing her body to soak in its sereneness. As soon as her whole body was submerged except for her head, the farmer forced her body to relax. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. No matter how hard she tried it just wasn't working for her. Her mind was completely occupied with horrible thoughts. The images of her village being destroyed kept replaying in her mind, especially the part where her mother died right before her very eyes. Mozu could see the spear protruding from her mother's chest, blood flying out of her mouth and into the air, her mother's gurgled screams of agony. Mozu saw herself standing there, unable to do anything. She was there, helpless all over again. She could do nothing to help her village or her family, nothing at all. They all got to suffer and die and she got to live. Mozu was beginning to wish that she had died with them. If she had, she wouldn't be suffering right now.

The princess of Nohr had been so very kind to her, offering her to join her group. Mozu knew that it was dangerous and that they were fighting for something important, but Mozu didn't get the details. She had no interest in knowing. All she wanted to do was to remain in her misery, desperately hoping to get over everything eventually. Mozu knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. The girl didn't even make an effort to do so. Ever since she arrived at the camp with the princess and her group, Mozu kept to herself. A few of the individuals in the group tried to start a conversation with her, but Mozu didn't talk much. It was very clear that everyone was trying to make her feel better, but it wasn't working. Mozu wanted to tell them that it wasn't going to work, but she didn't have the heart. She appreciated their efforts, but it wasn't going to do anything. Mozu wanted to be alone, but she also wanted to start making friends with her new family.

"I can't do it…" she lamented to herself, slowly opening her eyes to watch the steam float up from the hot water that she was currently bathing in. "I can't do it. I just can't. How can I just forget about my true family and accept these people as my new family? I know the princess said that they weren't replacing my previous family, but…but I…" Mozu couldn't even finish her sentence because the tears started inhabiting her eyes. Mozu tried to stop them, but it was inevitable. They spilled down her cheeks and mixed in with the water surrounding her. She would never be able to see her family ever again, not even her mother. She would never be able to talk with her mother again or even see her smile. Why was she the only one to live? Why couldn't she have died with all the rest of them? Why did her village have to be destroyed? Why?

Mozu's cries eventually morphed into heavy sobs and she used her bare arm to cover her eyes. Nobody was there to comfort her, nobody was there to tell her that everything was going to be okay. There was no one, and Mozu did not trust anyone to be with her at that moment. None of them would understand, she was sure of it. _None of them_. That was her theory, and she was sticking with it until the end. The only person who _could_ comfort her was herself. Mozu couldn't rely on her new family. She didn't even know them that well. Still, the farmer wished with all her heart that she would get better, that she would forget all that happened.

When the villager was finished soaking in the hot spring, she removed herself from the water and grabbed herself a white towel, quickly wrapping it around her body because of the cool air. It was night out and it was serenely quiet. During the day, many people occupied the hot spring within the camp and Mozu was not interested in gossiping with the other girls. What would they have talked about? Mozu had no clue. Besides, she wasn't in the mood to speak with other people. As she stared down at her bare feet and ruminated, her mind went back to what happened earlier that day. That man… _Niles_. He had said some hurtful things to her. It was like he didn't even care about her feelings. At all. Mozu had felt pure anger surge throughout her very being, but then it had been immediately replaced with horrible anguish. Why did he talk to her like that? Did he have no heart? Was he intentionally trying to make her life more miserable? It sure seemed that way. Mozu was starting to hate that outlaw. As soon as he opened his mouth, that was when the hate started forming in her broken heart. Someone who could say such things to her after what happened to her was a cold and heartless human being. Mozu was very sure that she would always hate him.

"I'll never forgive him…" she muttered to herself, blinking back tears. "Never. Never. _Never_." The girl would have went on speaking to herself, but she heard a noise. Gasping, she took a shaky step back when she realized that someone was entering the hot spring. When she saw who it was, her entire body froze up and it was like her feet were rooted to the ground. At that moment, she felt like a tree, forever bound to the Earth.

It was _Niles_.

The white haired man peered at her in surprise at first, but then his expression transfigured into one of mild lust and interest. His eyes roamed her figure shamelessly and Mozu wanted to scream at him, but all of her words were stuck in her throat. It was then that she came to the realization that she was in a towel in front of this man who was inspecting every inch of her. Immediately, Mozu felt extremely vulnerable and she swallowed hard, body trembling.

A crooked grin showed itself upon Niles's features and he tilted his head to the side, arms folded firmly across his chest. Mozu did not enjoy the look on his face, but her heart started hammering against her chest like a drum. She was sure that if it started beating even harder that it would burst out of her chest. The way he was watching her with that one eye of his…and that grin on his face…it made her feel some kind of way. Mozu detested it.

"I didn't know you'd be here," remarked Niles, shattering the silence. "I was going to take a dip in the hot spring myself. I see you're already done since you're in a towel and everything…and you're _wet_."

Mozu shivered at that last word. The way he said it made it seem like he was referring to something else. _Is this guy a dang pervert?!_ Rage seeped into her bloodstream like an infectious poison and it made her even more uncomfortable. The farmer's lips trembled and she wanted to say something to the man, but nothing would come out. Mozu hated herself for that. Why couldn't she talk? What in the world was wrong with her?

"Got nothing to say?" Niles asked, raising an eyebrow at her. It was then that he started to approach her. There was nothing Mozu could do about it. Her feet were still rooted to the ground. Again, she was imitating a tree. The girl willed herself to move, to get out of there, but her body was not cooperating with her at all.

The outlaw stopped in front of her, his intimidating figure towering over her. The smirk slowly faded from his face and his expression became untellable. It was like no emotion was evident on his face. Mozu couldn't tell what the white haired male was feeling or thinking. It was like he transformed into a complete mystery. It reminded Mozu of a puzzle. He was a puzzle that she would never solve, nor did she _want_ to solve. The fact that he was standing before her and throwing useless questions at her made her sick. That anger was still present within her soul and his words from earlier that day replayed over and over throughout her head. He didn't care at all. He didn't care what happened to her. He didn't care that her entire village was destroyed and that her family was cruelly slaughtered by the Faceless. Mozu didn't know such a heartless person could exist.

"Even though you're incredibly skinny and weak-looking," Niles spoke up once more, his face still unreadable. "You still look attractive in a towel. With clothes? Not so much." There was that brutal honesty again, without any concern for the other's feelings.

Body trembling, Mozu opened her mouth and spat out irefully, "You don't give a squat, do you?! You don't care about what happened to me?!" The country girl wrapped her arms around herself, still very much vulnerable. "And stop staring at me, ya dang pervert!"

Niles cocked his head to the side curiously, watching her face.

Mozu squeezed her eyes shut, taking another step away from the outlaw, not wanting to be too close to him. She had no idea who this man was or what he was capable of. He seemed really strong, but she didn't want to get hurt and she didn't want to hear anything more he had to say. She just wanted him to leave her alone! "You ain't right!" she screamed at him, tears sliding down her cheeks. Since when did she start crying? Mozu felt like a weakling right then and there, and she was sadly beginning to believe the guy's previous words.

A yawn escaped the outlaw's mouth and he scratched the back of his head, becoming bored. "Are you done yet?"

Choleric, Mozu opened her eyes and screeched, "You're heartless! You ain't right! _You ain't right_!" Mozu kept repeating over and over again, wishing that she could hurt him with her words. She would never physically harm someone no matter how angry they made her. Mozu wanted to use her words, but her words weren't harsh enough and they weren't working. The farmer took another step back, and another and another, arms still tightly around herself.

"I guess you're not," muttered Niles in irritation.

Violent sobs struck Mozu out of nowhere and her legs suddenly felt wobbly. She felt extremely lightheaded and Mozu feared that she might faint. It was then that she came to the true realization that she had been thoroughly traumatized. All those negative feelings murdered her soul and broke her heart. Her mother's face appeared in her mind and Mozu released a loud cry, still constantly backing up. To others, it would seem like she was losing it completely.

"Hey! Watch out!" Niles yipped suddenly, thrusting a hand out toward her and snatching her small hand in his larger one.

A gasp few out of Mozu's mouth as she felt her heels on the edge of the hot spring. Her free arm went out to her side in a futile attempt to stop herself from falling, but Niles already had a firm grasp on her tiny hand. Unfortunately, Mozu's towel slipped off from the whole ordeal and that was when her cries ceased completely. Her towel silently floated down into the water below and everything went silent. Mozu stared straight at Niles's face, tears still streaming down her own. She watched his one eye lower down to her bare body and Mozu felt her face heat up tremendously. Without thinking, Mozu desperately tried to tug her hand out of his and screeched like a banshee, "L-Let go of me! Stop looking at me, ya dang pervert! Stop it! _Let go_!"

Obeying her immediate commands, Niles swiftly released her tiny hand and watched as she went falling back into the water with a loud splash. Water flew up everywhere and some even got on Niles. Mozu felt herself being submerged in the water, but she made no attempt to get out. The country girl allowed her back to touch the bottom of the spring and she stared up solemnly and embarrassingly at Niles's distorted face above. The two of them just stared at each other for a few seconds before Niles's face disappeared.

Mozu lifted her hands and pressed her palms into her red, freckled cheeks. Her heart was racing and her soul was heavy with sorrow.

There was one thing her mind kept focusing on without her consent though.

 _The feeling of his hand around hers had caused her heart to skip a beat._


End file.
